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| Member |
Well yesterday was my first DIY oil change on my 2013 Subaru WRX. I have been taking it to the dealership for oil changes since I bought it. But after the last couple of services/recall problems, I decided that I would do all of the general maintenance. So I bought a 5 liter jug of Motul 8100 ECO LITE 5W30. A WIX XP filter, new Fumoto drain plug. Well, that was the end of the easy stuff. After I got the car on jack stands, I tried to undo the drain plug. I almost lifted the car off of the jack stands! Got it off, and the oil over flooded the oil drain pan and most of the oil went onto the driveway. OK fine, time to get the oil filter off. Well, then the real fun began. The oil filter socket kept slipping and rounded the filter, in the process the filter punctured, more oil on the driveway. Crushed the oil filter even worse, now, I'm to the mother of all channel locks. I struggle with the filter for over an hour, pull my back out and almost pulling the car off of the jack stands again. Now, I'm into the oil change at almost two hours. So, at last, the filter is off. Oil is drained, and the new filter is primed with oil, new Fumoto drain plug in and new oil in car. So I'm guessing that the dealership has a 900 pound Gorilla with anger management issues as a lube technician. I have never seen a drain plug or oil filter this tight and I worked as a oil change guy back in my high school days! Well, at least the coolent/antifreeze flush went fairly smooth. I spent most of the day today cleaning the driveway. It took 40oz of Dawn dishwashing detergent, and half gallon of Mean Green and a pressurer washer. I scrubbed the driveway with a broom, pressurer washed, reapplied more of the dishwash detergent and Mean Green and repeated. I got it about 99% off. Well, next time it will be easier to drain the oil, and I know the oil filter will come off, because I know how to do that. Yep, my assessment of the dealerships quality of work was correct. Total shit. ARman | ||
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Fighting the good fight |
Stuff like this is why I gladly toss the shop ~$30 to do my oil changes. Yes, I could do it myself, but it's honestly not really worth it to me. At least, as you said, you know it'll be easier next time. | |||
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Prepared for the Worst, Providing the Best |
Good news is next time it'll be better because you know you did it right this time. This is why I hate letting anybody else touch my car. | |||
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Go Vols! |
That’s nuts. The plug can get tight with those crush washers but I’ve never had a filter put up much of a fight on my Subarus. Sometimes it takes some jiggling to get the cap wrench off. Someone at that dealership wasn’t trained well. | |||
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Member |
Wow, but sounds like you got it going your way now. Did you rotate the tires while on the stands, I do. I keep some large heavy cardboard, like from an appliance box or such and put that under the car to catch the spills you inevitably will have. When done, if still fairly clean, I just slip it under the car where it gets parked in the garage until next time. It's better to lay on than the bare concrete as well. Collecting dust. | |||
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Member |
As they say, if you want it done right do it yourself. Truer words have never been spoken ... unless you don't know what you're doing of course. My last shop experience was a tire store. After a hundred miles or so, I noticed, hmmm, stopping my Jeep feels like I need a brake job. Well, found they'd tightened my lug nuts so tightly it was warping my rotors. Took a cheater bar to loosen them up. Re-torqued to 100 ft. lbs. and problem instantly corrected. Cheapest brake job ever. | |||
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| Member |
I have never seen a drain plug or oil filter on this tight. It was insane. I almost pulled the car off of the jack stands at least twice. My friend was there to help with the coolent flush and when I was under the car struggling with the filter and oil plug she was OMG! Stop, the car is going to come off of the jack stands! As to paying someone to do the work, I don't trust the dealership, I'm not going to trust some quick change place. Well, and least next time, it will be easier, just flip the leaver on the Fumoto drain plug, and lossen the oil filter, because this time, it was put on and tightened properly. So far, with the Motul 8100 ECO LITE 5W30, I have seen a slight bump in fuel economy. I'm going to keep track of this and see if it was just a fluke. ARman | |||
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| Fighting the good fight |
I'm lucky enough to have an independent mechanic in the area who specializes in Subarus. Better and more reasonably priced than the dealership, and higher quality and more knowledgeable than a quick lube joint or generic mechanic. | |||
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| Member |
No. I didn't rotate the tires, it's not due, and by time it is it will be time for the winter tires! I had cardboard under there, but the oil came out so fast it overflowed the drain pan. I'm going to get a different oil drain pan for next time. I haven't done a diy oil change in 4 years. The oil drain pan was good enough for the Toyota corolla, but the drain hole on the Subaru it much larger, so the oil drains out much faster, so the drain pan couldn't take the faster flow rate. ARman | |||
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| Member |
Yes it will be easier, but take longer with the Fumoto. Have had one on my 17yr old Jeep for well, about 17yrs. Super easy to change the oil but takes forever to drain. I pull the dip stick and oil fill cover when I open the Fumoto in hopes it will help drain flow ... still takes "forever". No worries, I know how long it takes and plan accordingly. Usually open it up and walk away and forget it about it for an hour or so LOL. Probably doesn't take that long, but yeah. | |||
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Truth Seeker |
In 18 years of owning my truck I have done every oil change, brake pad change, fuel filter change, and tire rotation except one. Because I bought my tires at a Lamb’s Tire and Automotive, they said I get free tire rotation. I was having a problem with one of my hydraulic jacks so I took it to them to do the rotation. The one and only time I had someone else do it, they screwed it up and cross threaded one of my tire lug nuts. On my next oil change and tire rotation I did I could not get the lug nut off for the life of me and had to bring it to them. Thankfully they took care of it free of charge, but that just reinforces to me that I need to do as many things as I can myself. NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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| No, not like Bill Clinton  |
Righty tighty, lefty loosy  | |||
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| Woke up today.. Great day! |
I've had oil filters so tight from the factory that they got crushed trying to remove. Had to use a big screwdriver through the filter. Same deal, must have a gorilla putting the filters on. | |||
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For real? |
I'm so glad Subaru is putting the oil filter on top. I've always liked that about my BMWs. I just ordered a new Impreza for my daughter and plan on doing my own maintenance on it. It's got to be easier than the BMW which is easy (just did an oil change, spark plug change, front rotors and pads and a brake fluid flush on it last month. Took less than two hours) Not minority enough! | |||
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| Page late and a dollar short |
Last(!) time my Jeep was in the dealer's service department the lube tech (term used loosely) overtightened the drain plug and the oil filter housing cap (plastic) probably as a result of me complaining to the service advisor and making them change it to the specified weight before I left. -------------------------------------—————— ————————--Ignorance is a powerful tool if applied at the right time, even, usually, surpassing knowledge(E.J.Potter, A.K.A. The Michigan Madman) | |||
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| Savor the limelight |
I put a piece of hose on the Fumoto valve and drain the oil into the empty jug/jugs from the previous oil change. The oil drain pan only gets used for the oil filter. | |||
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| Member |
Get yourself one of these three prong ratcheting oil wrench adapters. https://www.homedepot.com/pep/...3&source=shoppingads You'll be glad you spent the $10 the first time you have to use it. The absolute best design oil wrench I have ever used. | |||
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Member |
Really? The Fumoto I installed in the oil pan on my Ford truck drains almost as fast as the stock drain plug. I love the thing. ----------------------------- Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter | |||
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| I have a very particular set of skills |
Pretty much the same, tho I wish with the synthetic I request it was only $30...but where I'm going every 4th one is 'free.' I've had the car for a year and half and only about 12K miles put on it, so not spending tons of $$ on oil changes. I've done plenty of oil changes myself back when I had alot more time and a lot less responsibility...go buy the oil + filter, drive the car up on some tiered 2x6's, crawl around on the ground, drain hot oil, which the wind would usually blow past the edge of pan towards the end, change filter (not as hard back then, mostly more room compared to these days) but still spilling oil around doing it, take pan and pour used oil into other receptacle(s), add new oil. Drive used oil to auto store to dispose of... Yeah, what little free time I have these days, I'd just rather do something else. All those cool little low-riding sports cars, just tons of fun trying to get under safely and work on... These days I am using the local dealership...small town, and when I bought the car a year and half ago, I wanted to at least try to get it off to a good start with all factory OEM oil change and tech check...so far haven't hugely disappointed me, so I'm still using them... Plus the local 'quick lube' place was actually more expensive than the service shop at the dealer (ridiculous)... For the OP, with things being that tight, particularly the filter, wonder if it had actually been changed the since it was put on? Boss A real life Sisyphus... "It's not the critic who counts..." TR Exodus 23.2: Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong... Despite some people's claims to the contrary, 5 lbs. is actually different than 12 lbs. It's never simple/easy. | |||
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